Back on the Battlefield with Advance Wars: Days of Ruin

Back on the Battlefield with Advance Wars: Days of Ruin

As I write this I'm fighting a war with my eyelids to stay open. Last
night's Advance War battle raged on way past my bedtime. I had bested
one of the three opposing forces on the map, but the two remaining
CO's refused to give up any ground. After the 10th time I said,
"one last turn" my wife finally forced me to retire from the
battle for the evening and call it a night. Judging by my exhausted
state, I probably should've listened to her the first time she told me
to put the game down.

That's the thing with Advance Wars, once you're in the thick of it -
it's nearly impossible to put down. That's just where I'm finding
myself again after a bit of a hiatus from Advance Wars: Days of Ruin.

I was initially let down by the departure Days of Ruin had taken from
previous Advance Wars games. The change in art style and characters
didn't bother me nearly as much as the striped down, 'back to basics'
gameplay. What I've realized with the loss of overpowering CO attacks
and additional skills is that Days of Ruin is raw Advance Wars at it's core.

Days of Ruin leans much more towards a methodical game of chess now
as opposed to a simple bout of rock, paper, scissors. The rock, paper,
scissor mechanics are still there, but you'll need to pack more
strategy than firepower now if you hope to walk off the battlefield victorious.

I still stand by my original review of this game (short version:
horrible story, drab characters, lack of features when compared to
Dual Strike...) but it is still one of the best games I have played on
my DS. Once you get into the rhythm, Advance Wars is pure, gaming
crack. Just look at me, I'm strung out right now, and all I can think
about is 'one more turn'.